Automatic oil separator



Jan. 20, 1931. J. P. WALKER AUTOMATIC OIL SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 21.1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ol-I I'B VET ATTORNEY I Jan. 20, 1931. I J. P. WALKER I 1,789,612

AUTOMATIC OIL SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 21. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ga s-:1! Z

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ATTORNEY N ENTOR I 2|:22222: I r

v This hood retards an lmmediate upward.

Patented Jan. 20, 1931 PATENT, OFFICE JAY P. WALKER, OF TULSA,

MARCHANT AND SIX PER CENT TO 0. G. WELLS,

OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF FOR'IY PER GENT TO GUY O.

BOTH OFTULSA, OKLAHOMA AUTOMATIC OIL SEPABATOIR Application filed November 21, 1927. Serial No. 234,180.

This invention relates to an automaticbil separator andparticularly to a construction of tank adapted to separate the gas and water from stock oil in its flow therethrough.

The stock oil as delivered from a well contains a mixture of gas, salt water and sand and any splashing or agitation thereof tends to cut or emulsify the oil which renders the se aration of water therefrom diflicult. For this purpose steam heated settling tanks'are usually necessary and also a chemical treatment of the stock oil, and such methods involve a great loss of time and incur material expense. In actual practice the pipe line companies require that the stock oil have a very low percentage of water, either free or in emulsion, owing to its-effect upon storage tank constructions. It therefore becomes necessary to efl'ectually remove such water and to reduce the chemicals used, if any, to a minimum I The present invention avoids the objec-' tions stated and reduces the agitation of the stock oil to a minimum after it enters the separator through which its flow is suitably retarded to permit gravity separation of the sand "and water therefrom, while the free gases are collected at the upper portion of The construction of thehopthe separator. per and battles prevents any whirling move- .ment of the oil or violent agitation in its passage. downward through the. stack from which it is discharged beneath; the hood.

flow and causes the oil to traverse a.c1rcu1tous path about the lower and up er baflies until it reaches the outlet beneath t e hopper The oil in flowing in contact with these baffies causes water to settle thereon which is conducted to the water outlet at the base of the separator. I thus effect a continuous automatic s'eparationof the gas and water from the stock oil-in its flow through a single separating tank.-

Theinvention has for an ob ect to provide a novel and improved construction of tank having a gas separator at its upper portion and a conduit feeding the stock oil to the base .7 of the tank, with means to retard the upward movement oftheoil and collect therefrom any water not otherwise separated :from the oil by gravity.

Another object of the invention is to present a new construction of-water separator including an inlet chamber having a hop per bottom and a feed stack depending there- ,from, together with baflle plates intermediate the tank and stack to retard an upward flow of the li uid.

A further 0 ject of the invention is to provide a tank having a gas separator at its upper portion, a water chamber at its base,

and an intermediate inlet chamberhaving a hopper bottom and stack depending therefrom, together with aplurality of baflies surrounding said stack and formed with pipes draining to the water chamber.

.Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the' novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings-'- t Figure 1 is a side elevation of thesepara- Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof;

Figure 3 i's a section on line 3-3 of Figure. 2; and

, r i ureiiis a detail plan of the heating Like numerals refer to like-parts in the several figures of the drawings.

This constructi on of separatoris adapted for a variety of applications, but is espe-' cially designed for use in the conservation s stem disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 234,731.

The numeral 10 designates .a separating tank which may be of an desired size or conf figuration and is provi ed at a point" above its midheight with inlets 11 for the crude or stock oil. These inlets are connected with a feed line 13 and protect-edwithin the tank by a boxing. 12 open atits bottom and one end to cause a lateral downward flow of the en'- -tering oil. At the upper portion of the tank "a gasseparator 14; is located and the structure'thereof forms the subject of an independent application. The trough 15 of'this separator drains downward any liquid which may collect therein through the pipes 16 water associated therewith. The ho per'al so forms an inlet 'to'the chamber divi ed from the lower portion of the tank which comprises a water separator. As the oil will float m upon-the water it is obvious that water will V collect on and above the bottom 29 and this portion of the tank forms a water chamber. he oil floating upon the water occupies a higher elevation in the tank and this portion of the tank forms the oil chamber) .The oil level and the water level are indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. I

The stack 17 extends downward into this water separator and discharges above the bottom 20 of the tank. Its lower end is formed with a hood-2l which by retarding the upward flow permits the bulk of water to sett to the bottom of the tank, while the oil rises .through' the space between the bafile 22 .car-

. g; ried by the tank and the stack. An water vided with a gas vent 27 extending above the] same to release any gas which may collect in the water se arator. 1 At the base of the tank a water outlbt 26 is disposed with a downwardly directed inlet to feed from the water collected at the bottom of the tank,

the separation of water therefrom, and for this plir posea .heating coil 30' may be su ported beneath the hood at the feed from t e e 5 stack and a vertical stand pipe 31 is provided within the stack for heating the upper portion of the oil feed. The tank is equipped from the water level upward witha series of s gage glasses 42 and a similar glass 43 at the woil level. A clean-out manhole ,44 may be provided adjacent the base of the tank.

-.The operation of the separator will beapparent from the foregoing description audit will be seen thattheinflowin stock oil passes 1 as downward through the'stac without a 'tation so as to efiect a gravity separ'ation'o the water at the hood, and the upward flow-of. the

oil is then retarded to permit the bafiles'to 001- hot an remaining water and drain it to the to base 0 the tank. Any oil vapor which may the use of a single tank means for the most eflicient and rapid dehydration of the oil in its passage therethrough.

The specific details of construction of the separator have been shown and described but the invention is not confined thereto .as changes and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as recited in the following claims.

What I claim is having a gas separator at its upper portion and a feed chamber below the separator, "a

1. In an automatic oil separator, a tank .conduit leading from the feed chamber feeding stock oil to the base of the tank, a water chamber at said base, means toretardthe Rupward movement of the oil and water between the conduit and tank and collect therefrom the water carried by the oil, and means for conducting'such water to said chamber.

2. In an automatic oil separator, atank havin a feed chamber at its upper portion, a con' uit depending from said chamber for feeding stock oil tothe base oithe tank, a water chamber at said base, impervious means; between the..c0.. duit and tank for retarding the upward movement-of the'oil and water to a ggint of discharge beneath said feed cham downward from the retarding means to'dis charge into the water chamber.

3. In an automatic oil separator, a tank having'a' feed chamber at its upper portion, -a conduit. depending from said chamber, a

gas separator above said chamber-having a1. liquid drain into the conduit, a water separator beneath saidchamber, andla gas vent from the water separator discharging into I the feed chamber. Under :some conditions of use it is desirable to heat'the stock oil to'facilitate 4. In an automatic oil separator, a tank-- having a feed chamber with an inlet opening, a housing at the inner face of said 0 g closed at the top and. one end a bottom'for said chamber provided with a depending con- ,duit, a baflle at said bottom disposed to pre vent rotative movement of the oil and water separating means beneath" said bottom cooperating with said conduit.

1 5. In an'automatic =oi1 separator a tank having an'inlet chamber formed wit a hopp r bottom, a feed stack dependin theretermediate the ta ward flow of the oil, and means for conducting liquid collected by said plates to the lower portion of the tank.-

6. In an automatic .oil separator havlng an inlet chamber formed with per bottom, a feed stack depending rom, diate the tank and stack, and drain pipes extending from said bafiles to discharge at the base 0 the tank. .7. -'In anautomatic oil: separator, a tank hav ng aninlet chamber with its bottom pma. a hopthereoppositely projected baflles mterme-" r, and drain: conductors extending 1 am, oppositely rojected baflle p atesim- I and stacktoretard an up- 1 vided with a depending feed stack, a downwhich is discharged from the conduit into wardly deflected said stack, baflies disposed between said hood m In testimony where JAY P. WALKER.

and bottom and alternately secured to the stack and tank, means for conducting liquid from said baflies to the lower portion of the tank, and a clean oil outlet disposed between said bottom and the upper baifle.

8. In an automatic oil separator, .a tank having an inlet chamber with its bottom provided with a depending feed stack, a downwardly deflected hood at the lower end of the stack, oppositely deflected bafiles altersecured to the stack and tank, drains from such baflies to the base of the tank, a water discharge at said base, and an'oil outlet beneath said bottom.

9.- In an automatic oil separator, a tank having an inlet chamber formed with a hopper bottom, a baflie extending transversely thereof, a feed stack depending from said bottom and having a downwardly deflected hood at its lower end, a baflie plate secured having a liquid collecting trough and a drain to the tank above and overlapping saidhood, an upwardly deflected baffle plate secured to deflected balfle, and a Water discharge beneath said hood.

10. In an automatic oil separator, a tank having an inlet chamber formed with a hopper bottom, afeed stack dependingfrom said bottom and having ahood at its lower end, a pair of oppositely deflected baffles-above said hood, an oil outlet above the upper baflle, a water discharge beneath the hood, and a gas separator at the upper portion of the tank therefrom to said feed stack.

11. In an automatic oil separator, a tank having an inlet chamber, a conduit depending therefrom and provided at its lower end with a lateral hood, means extending trans- I .versely between the conduit and tank for retarding the upward movement of the oil to a pointof discharge, a closed horizontal heating coil supported beneath the hood in the path of the flowing oil, and a closed stand pipe, extending upward from said coil into said conduit.

12. In an automatic oil separator, an upright tank having an inlet chamber intermediate its ends and a waterchar'nber at its bottom, a conduit leading from the inlet chamher to the water chamber for feeding stock oil to said water chamber, means for 'retarding the upward flow. from the water chamber located 'exteriorly of the conduit, means for drawing off the water from the water chamber, means at a higher elevation for drawing off the oil from the tank between the water v chamber and the feed chamber, a heating means located in thewater chamber below the conduit and in the path of the stock oil hood at the lower end of the water chamber, and oil and gas separating of I aflix my signature. 

